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Today's News - Monday, April 28, 2014

Thirty-three people claim they were sexually abused by Franciscan Brother Stephen Baker while he worked at Johnstown’s Bishop Mccort High School from 1992 to 2001. On Friday, the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown said it was suspending settlement talks until state authorities finish their investigation, but a lawyer representing the alleged victims tells “The Tribune-Democrat” he is urging the diocese not to pull out of planned mediation because the withdrawal will re-traumatize his clients and prevent them from healing. Talks had been scheduled to take place this week in Philadelphia. Baker committed suicide last year after being linked to abuse claims in Ohio. A church spokesman says the diocese “intends to resume the settlement efforts” when it’s appropriate.

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Penn Cambria High School consumer science teacher Lauren Kudlawiec of Ebensburg is among five finalists competing for the top prize on “The Rachael Ray Show” this morning on CBS TV. As part of the Great American Cookbook Competition, Kudlawiec will make her signature recipe – Mrs. K’s Sicilian Stromboli. She also submitted two other recipes. The grand prize includes publication of the winner’s cookbook. Kudlawiec tells “The Tribune-Democrat” her cookbook would focus on children and family favorites that are affordable, healthy, and easy to make. She wants to call it “Scrumptious, Simple and Secretly Healthy.”

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A hike ended in tragedy this weekend in Bedford County. Police say the family of 65-year-old Robert Miller of Martinsburg reported him missing after he did not return from a hike Saturday in the area of Henrietta Mountain Road. Miller was found dead in the woods from natural causes.

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A high speed crash around noon Sunday killed a Pittsburgh-area woman in Cambria County. Jackson Township police say 55-year-old Annette Medley was traveling more than 100 miles per hour when she tried to swerve around another car and her vehicle ran off Route 22, through a guard rail, and over an embankment near Fords Corner Road. Medley was ejected and killed. Her passenger was lifelighted to Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown.

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Democratic State Senator Daylin Leach is holding a press conference this morning at the capital to make an announcement about his bill to legalize medical marijuana. There are currently several marijuana-related bills sitting in committee at the state level, including Leach's. There is also a bill that would legalize the drug for recreational use and one that would keep people caught with small amounts of marijuana out of jail.

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Indiana County State Representative Dave Reed is reporting on poverty in Pennsylvania. Reed and staff have spent months studying the problem and say around 13 percent of Pennsylvanians or 1.6 million people are in poverty. The report also lists factors that can keep someone in poverty including lack of education or family support, mental health issues, a criminal record or lack of affordable childcare.

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The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is reminding students that the state grant application filing deadline is this Thursday. You can find applications and more information at PHEAA.org/FAFSA.

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The mayor of a central Arkansas town slammed by a tornado late Sunday is describing the aftermath as “chaos.” Vilonia Mayor James Firestone says the community's downtown was basically leveled, with some homes reduced to piles of brick. At least 13 people were killed by tornadoes that hit Arkansas with one death reported in Oklahoma.

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People across the Plains, the Midwest and the South are bracing for more dangerous weather. The National Weather Service says the outbreak of severe weather and tornadoes that hit Sunday will continue today through the Plains, into the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, and parts of the South. The threat of tornadoes and severe weather continues through mid-week.

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President Obama is in Manila for two days of meetings with government leaders. He's expected to discuss a host of local and regional issues with President Benigno Aquino. Prior to his arrival, the White House announced that the U.S. and the Philippines had okayed a new ten-year defense pact.

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A California loss will soon be a big gain for the Lone Star State. Automotive News is reporting Toyota is getting ready to move its national headquarters from Torrance, California to Plano, Texas. Toyota's been based in Southern California for 57 years.

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Another bloody weekend in Chicago. Police say four people were shot to death and 35 others injured by gunfire since Friday night. Early on Sunday a 21-year-old woman was gunned down while traveling in a car on Chicago's Northwest Side.

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The Obama administration is reviewing its deportation policy. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson also told ABC's "This Week" changes could be coming. He wouldn't discuss details but did say immigration laws need to respect human dignity. Meanwhile some Senate Republicans are criticizing the administration for not enforcing immigration laws.

Officials say a Connecticut high-schooler died of multiple stab wounds. Sunday, the chief medical examiner said 16-year-old Maren Sanchez suffered wounds all over her face and upper body. Police say a 16-year-old male classmate killed Sanchez Friday morning. They said he may have been upset that she refused to go to the prom with him.

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There's more fallout from Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling's alleged racist statements caught on tape. It comes from the president of the NBA Players Association who just happens to be Sterling's franchise player. Clippers point guard Chris Paul issued a statement saying "on behalf of the NBA Players Association, this is a very serious issue which we will address aggressively."

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NBA Hall of Famer and Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan is speaking out on the alleged racial comments made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Jordan released a statement on Sunday saying he is "disgusted." He praised NBA commissioner Adam Silver for getting involved so quickly and conducting a full investigation into the matter.

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New York Congressman Michael Grimm is expected to surrender to federal authorities Today. Grimm's lawyer stated Friday that prosecutors intend to file federal criminal charges against the Staten Island Republican related to a private business deal that took place before he was elected to Congress. Grimm's attorney describes the case as a "politically driven vendetta" and says Grimm is innocent and will be vindicated.

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More and harder sanctions could be coming to Russia in the wake of the Ukraine situation. Senator Bob Corker told CBS' "Face The Nation" he agrees with that. The Tennessee Republican said general sanctions against Russia aren't having much of an effect on Russian president Vladimir Putin.

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Drinking more coffee may reduce the risk of developing type-2 diabetes. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health said people who drank nearly two cups of black coffee a day lowered their diabetes risk eleven-percent.

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A disaster of a video game that Atari literally buried a few decades ago is now resurfacing. Excavators started digging up what could be hundreds of thousands of "E.T." video game cartridges over the weekend at a landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The unearthing of all those "E.T." games is being filmed for a documentary tentatively titled "Atari: Game Over" whose backers include Microsoft's Xbox Entertainment Studios.

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A new DC comics superhero movie is in the works. The "Wall Street Journal" is reporting that a "Justice League" movie will hit theaters some time in 2018. Henry Cavil is expected to return as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman. Zack Snyder will direct the new "Justice League" movie once he finishes working on the upcoming "Batman Versus Superman" film.

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The Coast Guard is searching for a man who either jumped or fell overboard from a cruise ship sailing from the Bahamas to Palm Beach, Florida. James Miller was reported missing from the Bahamas Celebration Sunday morning.